Meets Wednesday, 13.00 – 14.00. Weekly.

Instructor, Carron, arrives with her equipment – mats, cushions, balls, stretch bands – all to help us keep our bodies strong and flexible. They are carried clattering up the metal steps to our allocated room. As mats are set out, we confide our various problems with backs, shoulders etc., so Carron knows when we need help or an alternative exercise.

“To begin at the beginning”: breathing and pectoral floor work – lovely, ‘easy peasy’. Deceptive. Soon, with Carron talking us through exercises, demonstrating when needed, the room reverberates with grunts, groans, giggles, remember pectoral floor, can’t do it, yes you can, but if painful, stop. Right. Time for the 100. It was requested, honest (tongue in cheek)! Don’t blame me. Do it. 1,2,3 – – -. Hey, you’re cheating, the hundred is up, so stop counting more tens. Hurray, made it. Time for a joke. Roll about laughing (or not).

Exercise progresses, working all parts of the body with constant reminders to attend to the pectoral floor: what’s this for? Explanation – naming of muscles being worked on. Oh, sounds impressive; must be good for us. Next, lying on stomachs, arms stretched up above heads, heads off the mat and level, then moving arms and legs up and down off the mat; are we tadpoles? Giggles. Can’t keep it up; stop; try again, ‘cos it’s good for us. “Remember to breathe,” says Carron. Oh, how did you know I hold my breath when concentrating?

Is it time to relax now? Wrong – it’s time for a minute of the plank. Help, my arms are wobbling – collapse with grunts and giggles. Just do what you can. We do. Time for another joke. Was that meant to be funny? Relaxation time? You’re kidding. It’s the balancing on one leg act, standing near the wall, if necessary. You’ve guessed – of course it is (for some anyway!). Lift the free leg as high as you can and move in various directions; now try with eyes closed. Oops! Not easy, wobble, wobble, touch down. Now the other leg – – – -. At last relaxation time; big sighs. It’s over. I DO FEEL GOOD.